Where Does Your Power Come From?

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San Patricio Electric Cooperative is a lines company. It’s responsible for getting power to your home and keeping your lights on. But San Patricio Electric doesn’t generate the electricity that you use. In order to have an adequate power supply to serve its members, San Patricio Electric purchases electricity from another cooperative, called South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC).

Like San Patricio Electric, STEC has a long-standing history of serving members in South Texas. It was founded in 1944 to provide wholesale electric power to other cooperatives. Today STEC serves eight electric cooperatives in South Texas. And those eight cooperatives serve more than 180,000 members in 42 Texas counties, making STEC a vital piece to the electricity process.

One of the best things about STEC is its diversified mix of electricity generation resources. Instead of simply relying on coal power plants, it also generates electricity from different power sources, including natural gas and wind.

As of October 2014, STEC used seven primary electricity generation sources. The San Miguel Power Plant is by far its biggest electricity contributor, supplying about 400 megawatts of electricity. As a lignite coal power plant, San Miguel provides a reliable, steady stream of electricity to ensure our members receive the power they need to turn on the lights, cook dinner or watch TV.

STEC also generates electricity at three natural gas plants: The Sam Rayburn plant, the Pearsall Power Plant, and the Magic Valley power plant. All together, these facilities generate more than 450 MW of electricity.

Renewable resources, such a sunlight, wind and water, are abundant in South Texas. So it only makes sense that STEC has included some renewable energy generation in its electricity mix.

Its largest source of renewable power supply comes from hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric energy is generated by harnessing the power in the movement of water, usually at a dam. Like coal and natural gas, hydroelectric power can be generated at any time, day or night, making it a reliable electricity source for the cooperative.

STEC gets power from two hydroelectric plants. The Amistad Power Plant generates about 66 MW of power and the Falcon Plant generates about 33 MW. While these produce significantly less electricity than STEC’s natural gas and coal plants, they are still an important part of the co-op’s generation capacity.

STEC also takes advantage of the abundant wind energy in Texas, which leads the nation in wind energy production. The cooperative is currently under a 15-year power purchase agreement with the Peñascal Wind Power Project in Kennedy County. The project, built by Iberdola Renewables, consists of 84 wind turbines and generates 202 MW of electricity. STEC purchases about 100 MW from the Peñascal Wind Power Project.

All of these forms of electricity mix together on the power grid before they are transported and delivered to your home or business. When you flip on a light, run your air conditioner or turn on the TV, you’re using power that’s been generated by coal, natural gas, wind and water.